Electric socket



July 22, 1947. E. Ta. coLLlNs ELECTRIC SOCKET Filed Jan. 3l, 1944 /y El Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC SOCKET Edward T. Collins, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 31, 1944, Serial No. 520,514

(Cl. TIS- 328) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical socket members for use in conjunction with electrical devices having plug-in connections such as employed, for example, in radio tube connections, numerous applications in the electronic arts and various electrical devices requiring quick detachable electric circuit connections.

The particular sockets that are involved in this invention are those that are used in connection with electrical devices employing spaced insulation plates to which the opposite ends of the sockets are permanently anchored, and which sockets serve as a means for holding the plates in spaced relationship. Heretofore, sockets of this character have been screw machine products made of solid rod or bar stock which itself is quite expensive and which involves a relatively slow Inachining operation as well as considerable waste of materials in lost turnings, all of which add materially to the cost of making the sockets. Furthermore, sockets that are made from rod stock require a leaded valloy for machining purposes, which is not considered suitable as the ideal material for riveting which is necessary in anchoring the opposite ends of the sockets to their respective bases.

It is the lprincipal object of my invention to overcome the above diliculties and expense by making 'the sockets from sheet metal blanks drawn up into tubular eyelet form by successive drawing operations and providing for a shoulder and beaded portion in each eyelet socket that cooperates with the insulation bases in making the nal permanent assembly thereto.

Sockets of this character are made of various brass alloys suitable for drawing operations and having the normal electrical conductive properties.v In some applications, however, a maximum degree of conductivity is required which is attained by coating the sockets with a silver plate. In the construction oi my socket due consideration is made to preclude the marring of the silver coating in the manufacture and assembly of the socket particularly in the interior of the socket where the electrical contact is made. Also provision is made to preclude acid or soldering flux from entering the socket chamber when the electrical connections are made to one end of the socket.

The full nature of this invention, along with other objects and various advantages thereof, will be more apparent from a consideration of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l shows two of the sockets as they appear attached to fragmentary portions of spaced supporting insulation bases, with portions of one socket in section to show the interior construction and showing in dotted outline the complementary connecting member supporting push-in resilient plugs.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional View through my socket on an enlarged scale as it appears before assembly to the bases.

Fig'. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 and shows the sealing cup member in the process of being dropped into the socket for assembly purposes, and

Fig. 4 shows one socket in section as it appears in its iinal state assembled to its supporting insulation bases.

Referring now tothe drawing in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, numeral I0 designates generally an electrical unit in which there are employed spaced insulation plates II and I2 to which numerous sockets or jacks I3 may be attached, the latter serving as pedestals to hold the plates in spaced relationship. The unit I0 is generally referred to in the trade as a multiple jack. A. complementary plug member I4 carries a corresponding number of resilient plug pins I5 which are supported in the plug member in lproperly aligned relationship to the sockets and suitable electric current conductors I6 may be connected to the individual pins in the usual manner.

Socket members or jacks I3, as they appear before assembly to the supporting bases Il and I2, are in the form as shown in Fig. 2. Each socket I3 within the teachings of this invention is preferably made from a sheet metal blank by successive drawing operations in the form of an eyelet to provide for a tubular body portion l1 encompassing a socket chamber I 3a', for the reception of the plug pin I5 and havinga reduced tubular neck I8 at one end joined integrally into the body portion by a connecting shoulder I9. A pro- .iecting circumferential bead 261 is provided ad- -iacent the opposite open end of the body portion Il and preferably the bead 20 is formed outwardly of the body wall to provide a beadof double wall thickness and removed a prescribed distance from the end of the body portion I'l, the purpose of which will appear later.

As pointed out in the objects of this invention, in order to afford the maximum electrical conductive efficiency to these sockets, they are silver plated. In view of the fact that my socket is made from a drawn metal shell, with the closed end nf the tubular neck I8 removed, as shown in Fig. 2, allows for an opening throughout the entire length of the socket member which is very desirable for cleaning and draining uids preliminary to the plating operation. This through opening is also exceptionally helpful in the plating operation to allow the electrolyte to flow therethrough to assure that a proper silver plating will be deposited on the inside of the sockets l where the electrical contact is made. The socket member I3 eventually will have electric current conductors 2 I as shown in Fig. 11 .connected '.to the tubularneck I3 thereof by Va soldering operation and this requires that the opening through the socket must -be properly sealed so that none of the soldering flux and any harmful material will enter into the socket chamber I3a and ruin the silver coating. In order-.to make :this seal I provide for the cupped shell 22 that xmustbe assembled through the socket chambersl'a'without scraping the side walls. This is accomplished by making the outside diameter of the cupped shell 22 somewhat smaller than the :diameter proper of the socket chamber I3, and then in the drawing operations of the socket member `I3 to provide for a thickened wall portion as at 23 adjacent the shoulder I9 of said socket member Ain whichxthis thickened wall portion 23 is interiorly of the socket chamber I3a so as to provide for a smaller diameterat the base of the chamber I3a. The diameter ratthis thickened wall portion 23 preferably is `slightly less vthan the diameter of the cupped shell 22 so that a drive i'lt will be'afforded.betweenthickened wall portion 23 and the cupped shell '22 when the latter is forced home against the shoulder I9.

It is also within the purview lof this invention to `have the wall portion -of the socket adjacent the shoulder I3 .offset slightly .inwardly to provide for .a reducedinterior diameter for the same purpose and intent given for lthe thickened wall portion 23 stated above.

The manner in 'which 'the socket members :or jacks .I3 are assembled .to the spaced plates VII and fIZ .is :best shown in Fig. 4. Specifically the plate I2 which is the lower Vplate of the unit AIii is provided with a suitable aperture 24 through which the tubular neck I8 may ybe inserted to a position where the shoulder I9 :seats against the adjacent face of I.the -base I2. That portion of the neck VI8 projecting from the opposite face of said base I2 may then be ared outwardly or diametrically increased Ain size as vat 18a so as to provide for ran opposing shoulder` I'8b vfor permanently anchoring `that `end of thesocket member I3 to .the base I2. The opposite end of the ysocket member I3 is shown attached to the insulation plate II which happens to be in this disclosure of somewhat greater thickness than the plate I2. The plate .I1 is provided with a requisite number .of openings A25 of a size to receive Ythe tubu- 1&1' 190GB portion I'I of the socket member I3, and a countersunk recess2' visaligned with each opening .25. The opened end of the socket member I3 is assembled through the -opening '25 to a position where Vthe bead 20 seats against the adjacent face of the plate II, and the outer end of the socket may be ila-red or spun over as at 21 within the recess Y215 to anchor that end of said socket member I3 permanently to said plate II.

When the proper number of sockets are a-ssembled into the electrical unit I-, which is usually then known as a multiple jack, the electrical connections 2-I may be Imade in the usual manner by soldering the exposed ends of the conductor wires 2| in the socket 28 formed by the tubular :neck I8 and enlarged portion I8a and the base of the cupped shell 22. The manner in which this cupped shell 22 is rigidly secured by a drive fit into the socket member I3 will give assurance that none of the materials involved in the soldering operation can drop or leak into the socket chamber I3a of the socket members with its deleterious effects.

While the form of the invention herein shown and described embraces a preferred embodiment of the same,itis.to be=understoodthatthe construction may be variedas to mechanical details without departing from the spirit of the invenftion and the scope of what is claimed.

.lclaim: 1. 'A socket for electrical devices comprising a 'tubularbody having a reduced hollow neck portion'lat-one end'with a connecting shoulder, a circumferentialoutwardly projecting bead adja- 'centtheopen end of .said body, and a cup-shaped plug member received in the hollow of said body andhaving its base end seated against said shoulder as a means of sealing the hollow of said body from-thehollow of saidneck.

.-2. A socket for electrical devices comprising a tubular body having a-reduced hollowcylindrical neckportion at one-end with a connecting annular shoulder, va circumferential outwardly 'projecting -bead adjacent the open end of said body, the interior oi said body having a diametrically reduced 'section adjacent the `connecting shoulder,.and aplugimember having/a drive nt in said reduced section .-and seated against said shoulder asa stop-said-plug serving as a means for completely sealing the hollowof said body from the hollow of saidneck.

.3. .Asocket for `electrical devices comprising a tubular vbody having va .reduced .hollow cylindrical neck .portion .at one end with a connecting annular shoulder, vtheinterior of said body having aldiametricallyreduced section adjacent the connecting shoulder, anda plug member -having `a drive t in said reduced section v.and seated against said shoulder .as a stop, said plug servingas a means for completely sealing the hollow of said body from the hollow of said neck.

4. A socket for electrical devices comprising a drawn metal tubular shell having a restricted tubular neck portion made integral to the shell by a connecting shoulder, a double walled bead formed adjacent the open end of said shell, and a cup-shaped plug member received into said shell and having its base end seated against said shoulder for sealing the interior of said shell from said neck portion.

5. A socket as dened by claim 4 wherein means is provided 'in the tubular shell to aord a drive fit for said plug member with the base end of said plug member adjacent said shoulder.

6. As an article of manufacture, a vtubular drawn eyelet shell comprising an enlarged hollow cylindrical body and a reduced cylindrical neck portion connected to Vsaid body by a shoulder, the wall thickness of said body being increased Yinwardly adjacent said shoulder as a means of reducing the interior diameter of said body, and a plug having a `drive fit into said reduced interior diameter of said body against said shoulder as a stop.

7. As an article yof manufacture, a tubular shaped eyelet shell comprising an enlarged hollow cylindrical body and a reduced cylindrical neck portion connected to said body by a shoulder, the wall thickness of said body being increased inwardly adjacent said shoulder as a means of reducing the interior diameter of said body, and a plug tted into said reduced interior diameter of said body against said shoulder as a stop.

8. As an article of manufacture, a tubular shaped eyelet shell comprising an enlarged hollow cylindrical body and a reduced cylindrical neck portion connected to said body by a shoulder, the wall thickness of said body being increased inwardly adjacent said shoulder as a means of reducing the interior diameter of said body, and a cup shaped plug having a forced t into said reduced interior section with the base of said cup seated against said shoulder as a stop.

EDWARD T. COLLINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

vUNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kosha Jan. 11, 1944 Number Number 

